"Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) is on the decline of his brilliant career!"
Son Heung-min has officially been excluded from the list of world-class footballers. ESPN selected and announced 100 world-class football players based on their performance in the 2024-25 season. As a result, Son did not make the top 100. Neither Bundesliga champion Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) nor Champions League winner Lee Kang-in (PSG) was included. No Korean players were recognized.
ESPN selected the best players by position, including center forwards, wingers, attacking midfielders, defensive midfielders, center backs, fullbacks, and goalkeepers. The overall rankings of the players who made the top 100 were also announced.
A total of 20 wingers were selected, including Son Heung-min. Unfortunately, Son's name was nowhere to be found, as he struggled last season with 7 goals and 9 assists. Son broke his streak of scoring more than 10 goals in the Premier League for nine consecutive years. This was a symbolic event indicating that Son has come down from his prime.
In 2022, Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), who shared the Premier League scoring title with Son, was firmly in first place. Although Son's performance declined last season, Salah scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists, ranking first in both categories.
La Liga's rise was also notable. The second place was occupied by Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal, and third place went to Raphinha. Yamal had an outstanding season with 9 goals and 13 assists. Raphinha also performed well with 18 goals and 9 assists, playing a crucial role as a Barcelona ace.
There were also names associated with Korean players. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG), who was part of the winning team with Kim Min-jae at Napoli and moved to PSG to win the Champions League, came in 7th. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) ranked 6th, Ousmane Dembélé (PSG) 5th, and Vinícius Jr. (Real Madrid) 4th, among other famous players.
"Football god" Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) clearly showed signs of decline as well. Once the undisputed number one in the world during his prime, Messi now barely made it into the top 10 among wingers, ranking 8th.
Prominent players were included from 20th place, Brian Mbemo (Brentford), 17th place, Kogi Kakpo (Liverpool), 14th place, Désiré Doué (PSG), 13th place, Bradley Barcola (PSG), 12th place, Luis Díaz (Liverpool), and 11th place, Michael Olise (Bayern Munich).
Son Heung-min eradicated the regret of a "trophyless" career with a Europa League victory. He will forever remain a legend of Tottenham. However, the decline in Son's individual skills is an undeniable fact.
The Tottenham-focused "Hotspur HQ" noted, "At the age of 32, Son Heung-min is walking the final downhill path of his brilliant career. He still has the potential to contribute to Tottenham simply by securing the title of Europa League champion. Despite having the worst performance of the 2024-25 season with 7 goals and 9 assists, he still achieved the top score of 16 attack points alongside James Maddison on the team."
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